


A Bunch Of Unsaid Words

by The_Rose



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: 7.2 timeline, F/M, Legion timeline, Poetry, Requested fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26428258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Rose/pseuds/The_Rose
Summary: Illidan is forced to take a day off from the fight against the Legion. Strangely enough, that day is more productive than he expected, but now, all he had to do is to talk with Maiev.A shame she doesn't want to listen to him.
Relationships: Maiev Shadowsong/Illidan Stormrage
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15





	A Bunch Of Unsaid Words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ElisZelis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisZelis/gifts), [Melowen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melowen/gifts).



> Hi!
> 
> I would like to thank ElisZelis for the idea of this fic, and Melowen who provided the croissants (she'll understand :P)
> 
> Thank you both, I hope you'll enjoy it!
> 
> (But I hate you to have forced me to write a poem :( )

“You should take a day off,” said Khadgar, looking at a scroll, and then, raising his eyes to Illidan again.

“What’s that?” chuckled Illidan, perfectly knowing the meanings of those words, but feeling silly that in their current situation, it was something happening.

“You’ve been here every day since we started the attack, and you’ve been fighting well,” explained Khadgar really seriously, thinking that it might have been more of a human concept than a Kaldorei one. “So, you deserve to have a day where you can do anything that you want and to rest. It allows us to not feel burnout by all the work we are doing and you need one too.”

“Oh please, Khadgar,” Illidan kept chuckling as he shook his head. “Have you seen me? I can’t get a burnout as long as I’m fighting the Legion.”

The Archmage proceeded to look at Illidan, with an eyebrow raised, clearly telling that he wasn’t believing him, but he decided to say nothing and instead, sighed.

“You know, there’s nothing wrong with taking a day off and changing your mind,” continued Khadgar. “Even Maiev takes a day off from time to time.”

At the mention of the Warden, Illidan laughed loudly.

“Maiev? Oh, no, no, no, she will never take a day off,” Illidan replied, still laughing.

“How can you be so sure? She isn’t there today after all.”

“She’s probably doing stuff with her Warden, not really being on a day off. Believe me, I never saw her taking one ever since I knew her. Even sick she would go to her job.”

“You never saw her, you say, doesn’t mean that the days you weren’t saying her meant she was working on something.”

“Well, during all of my imprisonment, I saw her every day,” began to explain Illidan. “And even after my death, she was there every day to watch over me.”

“You were dead, how can you know?”

The Archmage was becoming suspicious of Illidan. How much did he think that Maiev’s life was revolving around him to make such assumptions? Especially that since his return, the Warden was mostly avoiding him and was doing her best to not have to talk to him. And yet, Illidan was there, claiming that she would constantly watch over him. The fact that Illidan began to nervously scratch his neck while looking away didn’t help to alleviate the Archmage suspicions.

“Don’t tell her but…” finally said Illidan. “I’ve been conscious all the time. I could have come back to life way sooner if she hadn’t imprisoned my body in that crystal, it was a barrier preventing my soul from reaching the body. So instead, I wandered near my body until I would find a way back to life.”

He was scratching his neck more nervously, and now, Khadgar was less suspicious, but more curious as to why Illidan was acting like that. After all, it was sounding like he just went through the same imprisonment as before, just that this time, Maiev wasn’t aware that Illidan could see her.

“So, you don’t want her to know that? Why that?”

“She would probably kill me and anyone who came in contact with me since my return.”

After those words, Illidan looked away and had a small chuckle that transformed into a faint, but soft smile. A smile that didn’t go unnoticed by Khadgar.

“Well, if you don’t want her to know,” threatened the Archmage. “You take a day off tomorrow. If I catch only a glimpse of you in Deliverance Point, I will immediately tell Maiev about that.”

Illidan’s smile disappeared completely as he glanced at the human, his eyes twitching as he proceeded the words.

“You got nerves to threaten me like that, human,” he said, walking towards him as his wings spread in his back, making Illidan appear even bigger than he was. “And all of this for some futile concept that only applies to regular mortals? What do you think will happen if you try to put your threat into motion? Do you really think I will let you do such a thing?”

“You won’t do anything,” affirmed Khadgar, looking at him right in the eyes. “Because if you try anything against me, Maiev will stop you anyway.”

Illidan quickly stepped back, a hollowed chuckle coming from his throat, but he had to admit the defeat. Meanwhile, Khadgar had never been so happy to have known the weakness of each member of the Army of Legionfall, especially now that Illidan had given him new information on how to keep him in check. But he also knew that it wouldn’t always work as all the secrets would be out at some point.

“So, just take a day off tomorrow, and I’ll forget about this conversation,” offered Khadgar.

“I’ll have my revenge Archmage,” simply threatened Illidan.

Illidan was looking at the ceiling, stuck in a room in the Fel Hammer. As promised, he wasn’t going to put a foot on the Broken Shore, even if he wasn’t trusting Khadgar at all, and could already imagine the Archmage telling Maiev about the conversation from the day before. So, Illidan was waiting there, half wondering if Maiev was going to show up, angry and trying to kill him; half searching for an idea to busy himself for the day. After all, ever since his return, he had been busy fighting the Legion, and suddenly not being to do that was weird. At no point he had planned anything that he could do in that situation and it was bothering him. And sleeping all day for it to pass faster was a no-go as it would remind him too much of Barrow Deeps.

The desk in the room grabbed his attention and he sat down on the bed, looking at it. It was a simple desk, and there was only paper, ink, and quill on it, in case Illidan had to communicate through letters with other people. Not really knowing why, he got up and went to sit at the desk, looking at the green-looking ink that was calling him. Taking the quill in his hand, he looked back at the paper, as his mind slowly repeated some words that he had thought of, so long ago for him. So long ago.

Slowly, he dipped the quill in the ink, and his hand began to trace words on the paper.

The next morning was cold and a swift wind swept through Deliverance Point as Illidan looked at the paper in his hand, reading the words, again and again, a soft smile on his face the more he did. In the end, that famous day off had been more productive than he had never hoped it could be and now, he only wanted to share it with someone, so it wouldn’t go to waste, even though he had another plan in mind with it. But the hardest would probably be to get that one person to listen to him, as after all, he had been respecting Maiev’s wishes to not get in contact with him. He was understanding why she wanted that, and he couldn’t go against it, but now, he had something to do.

Looking at the paper, he sighed and put it back carefully in a pocket of his pants. As soon as he did, Khadgar appeared at the place, and Illidan knew he was doing well to hide it as there was no way that the Archmage wouldn’t ask about it, and Illidan wasn’t going to share the text with him, especially not after how he had threatened him two days ago. Instead, he put on his usual smug smile and waited for the human to reach him, as it was clearly his intention.

“Morning Illidan,” smiled Khadgar. “So, how was your day off?”

“Absolutely awful. Worst thing to happen to me since my return. Never force me to do that ever again.”

“I guess it means it was alright,” deciphered Khadgar, only getting Illidan to sigh loudly.

“Listen Khadgar,” Illidan began, speaking softer than expected. “I am not a regular mortal anymore. Being part-demon makes me tireless and I will never be exhausted by fighting the Legion, so don’t try to care about me, I don’t need it.”

“This isn’t because you’re some kind of hybrid that it means you have to be seen as a tireless monster,” simply stated Khadgar. “Your body might not get tired, but your mind is still a Night Elf’s one. If you don’t take care of it, your body won’t follow and you won’t last.”

Illidan was ready to counterpoint the Archmage’s statement, but Khadgar didn’t let him say any words as he concluded it, destabilizing Illidan.

“You don’t deserve special treatment just because you’re part demon, and even less if it’s an unfair one.”

Illidan quickly stepped back and crossed his arms over his bust, muttering between his teeth, but he knew that he couldn’t say anything to the Archmage anymore, as he had no doubt that he would be shut down immediately if he tried to counter it. But now, he was fully realizing why he had been welcomed so easily in the Army of Legionfall, as the other commandants were simply nice and willing to give him a second chance, something Illidan thought that it was impossible after all he did. Though Maiev was a special case.

And speaking of the Warden, she finally caught his attention as she landed in Deliverance Point, coming from the Isles of the Watchers, where she was having morning training with her Wardens every day. It was a welcomed distraction, and Illidan quickly dismissed Khadgar, pretending to not see the Archmage’s smile as he also noticed Maiev, and began to leave so he could go and see her. Putting his hand in his pocket, he felt the paper between his fingers and he clutched on it, suddenly feeling his heart thundering in his chest and sweats dripping over his back. Of course, he wasn’t going to say anything right away, as it wasn’t something he could do in public, but he had to make sure that Maiev would accept to talk to him later. After all, they hadn’t exchanged a single word since the Black Temple. Since his return, she had actively avoided talking to him, and if needed, she was using an intermediary.

He wasn’t blaming her, not after what he did to her.

But now, he had to explain himself and he could only hope that the paper in his hand would help him. Taking a deep breath, he closed the distance between him and the Warden, just in time for Maiev to notice that he was coming towards her but not being able to get away.

“Morning Maiev,” he began, quickly hiding his hands in his back as they started to shake. “I would lov… liked to have a word with you. Can do we do that later?”

She only looked at him, her eyes full of an unsaid rage that made them shine brighter than never. And finally, she spoke to him.

“Get lost.”

Putting an end to the conversation, she turned away and began to walk, well decided to keep her decision to never talk to Illidan again. But the hybrid, absolutely not satisfied by the answer, had no other choice but to walk after her and keep talking by himself until Maiev would accept. He had to do it and couldn’t afford to fail. Not anymore.

“Please, I really need to talk to you,” he added, trying to keep up with Maiev’s pace, becoming faster at every second.

“I said get lost!”

“This is important,” insisted Illidan, knowing it was only important to him.

“I don’t care, see that with Khadgar,” she growled, glaring deadly at him.

“It doesn’t concern him.”

“Forget about it then.”

And with those words, Maiev got in front of Illidan and made her cloak whip in front of him as a silent threat. If he wasn’t leaving her alone, he would regret it. Understanding it, Illidan stopped walking and let her leave the place, only looking at her. It was going to be harder than he thought, but he knew that he had to do it. As his eyes stayed locked on where Maiev had disappeared, Illidan didn’t notice that Khadgar had joined him after he had witnessed the desperate tentative of the hybrid.

“Sorry, she was really adamant about the fact she didn’t want to interact with you,” said the Archmage, making Illidan flinch out of his thoughts. “What happened?”

“None of your business,” Illidan growled.

“But it does affect you…” simply stated Khadgar, not searching for an answer from Illidan. “You know, we are going to send forces near the Tomb today, as there had been a lot more demons coming from it those last days. I was thinking of asking Maiev to help with her Wardens, but maybe you could also add your own force?”

Illidan kept his sight on the horizon, not looking at all at Khadgar, but still raised an eyebrow as he heard the offering. Clearly, the Archmage understood that Illidan needed to have that talk with Maiev, and he was offering a possibility to him. Refraining the smile, Illidan pretended to think about the proposition, scratching his chin as if he was evaluating the con and pro of accepting his help. But deep down, he already knew the answer.

“Well, if you insist,” he replied, insisting on the last word to make it look like he had no say in the matter.

“I do,” Khadgar played along. “I think it will be better if you and Maiev were to work together on that mission. I’ll warn her myself.”

As they both smiled mischievously, they parted ways to go on with their day until the mission would start.

At first, Illidan really thought that he had to thank Khadgar for the opportunity that he had given him, but quick enough, he also realized it was most likely the worst idea ever. There was no way he could have a conversation with Maiev in the heat of the battle, and even less as her crescent was shining with blood, her murderous reflexes out in the open. Deep down, Illidan wanted to believe that Maiev wouldn’t try to kill him, but he couldn’t affirm it either as so many things changed since those times.

Dodging the Felstalker who jumped on him, Illidan got closer from the Warden, putting his back against hers. Surrounding them, the demons cornered the two commandants, though they decided to not get too close, as they were perfectly aware of how deadly those two were. Meanwhile, Illidan tried to strike up the conversation.

“You know, it reminds me of that time I had to fight back a gang of bullies from Suramar,” he chuckled nervously, keeping an eye on the Warden behind him. “It didn’t end well for me but thankfully, a priestess was there to help me. Let’s –”

Before he could add anything, Maiev elbowed him on the side of his ribcage, and if they hadn’t been in a potential mortal situation, he would have probably crouched out of pain. But he couldn’t do that right now.

“Stop talking bullshit and fight!” She added, the words whistling through her gritted teeth.

As soon as she finished her sentence, Maiev blinked towards the line of demons in front of her, and fell on the shoulders of a Felguard, two knives in her hands as she targeted its eyes. In a painful and agonizing scream, the demon fell on the ground and those who were standing next to him stepped back, knowing they would be next. Still in the middle of the demons, Illidan was rubbing his painful side, hissing while the demons were looking at him, confused as to why there had been infighting between the two commandants. But before they could realize they were missing their chance to finish Illidan, he ripped off his blindfold and blasted them all. Maiev was still doing her deadly dance, jumping and twirling between the demons, each of her blades finding the right spot to force them to drop dead at her feet, and soon, there weren't any demons left.

But Illidan.

Before he could realize that the fight was over, he felt the blade over his throat. Her crescent was shining brightly between them, but her eyes shone brighter with her rage as she grabbed one of his horns to pull him toward her.

“Tell Khadgar I don’t need your help,” she said. “You are just a nuisance and I don’t want to see your face ever again! Get out of my life and never come back, Betrayer.”

She had spat that last word to his face, but it wasn’t just the title that his people gave him so long ago, it was entirely personal and he knew it. He had betrayed her, more than once.

“Ma – Maiev!” He tried desperately. “Please, can I at least give you something? It’s important!”

He felt once again the paper between his fingers, and he knew he still had to at least give it to her. She might have wanted to not talk to him anymore, but he still needed her to read what he had written.

“No, I don’t care,” she groaned, getting back her crescent against her hips and walking backward. “I had enough of you and I want you out of my sight!”

But as she said those words, she realized that the little platform they were on, was smaller than expected, especially now that she was so angry that she couldn’t care about her surroundings. And it was too late that she realized that she had reached the cliff, only noticing it as her foot slid from it, leading her to her fall. Immediately, Illidan screamed her name as he saw her fall, but it wasn’t quite her name, yet it felt like home to her. And it surprised her. It surprised her so much that instead of doing what she should have done, blinking by herself to the ground to be safe, she missed the right timing and landed on her feet. As soon as she felt the ground under her, she also felt the electric shock going all through her left leg and she screamed in pain, falling as she couldn’t even let the foot on the ground. Quickly, she put her hand over the leg, checking on it, and it was with relief that she sighed as she could feel that nothing was broken, it must have been just a strain.

Looking above, she saw Illidan, also looking relieved, but this time, she couldn’t glare at him.

Maiev was looking at her leg, immobilized with a splint and she glared at it. She had refused any magical help because it had to be a lesson for her, to teach her to not be careless and that anything could kill her if she was letting her guard down. What she hadn’t told them though, was that once she had enough of it, she would use her own priestess magic to heal her leg and be back on the job right away. But first, she wanted to stay away from Illidan, especially after their last conversation.

Unfortunately for her, it was like the universe was against her at that moment, as she saw the hybrid entering the room and gently closing the door behind him. Not really looking at her, he made his way to the bed where she was laying on, and took a chair to sit next to the injured Warden.

“Hi,” he softly said.

“Get out,” she immediately replied, exasperated.

“I… Please, I just want your opinion on something I wrote, and then, I leave you alone.”

Saying that, he was playing with the paper, nervously clutching on it as it was finally time to let it all out. He was just feeling a little bummed out that he had to wait for Maiev to injure herself and get immobilized to be able to talk with her, but at this point, he just had to do it that way.

“It sucks,” she predicted. “Now get out.”

“Please?” he tried once more.

Sighing from exasperation, she threw her head backward and rubbed her face. There was no way out of this and she had no other choice but to accept.

“Alright, do it. But fast!”

A faint smile crossed his face as he opened the paper to read the text, and he cleared his throat, preparing himself to recite it.

“When she looks at me with those eyes,

Shining bright like the moonlit night,

I realize I’m not her knight.

And that’s where the problems arise.

Missing the clues, I let her go

The words always stuck in my throat,

And in my brain always keynote.

The pain in my heart only grows.

I recognized that song too late,

Now that we’re being played by fate.

Yet, it is time to make amends.

My life was a charivari,

Never said love and I’m sorry.

Despite all, she was my best friend.”

Silence followed as Maiev looked away with a hiccup, fighting back the tears that were filling her eyes. The words kept echoing in her mind, constantly louder as Illidan was completely silent, waiting for Maiev to speak first. Swallowing not without difficulties, she finally found the strength to say something without breaking down in tears.

“That’s nice,” she muttered. “Tyrande is lucky you never gave up on her.”

“You know this isn’t about Tyrande.”

Of course, she knew. But she was preferring dying than admitting it in front of Illidan.

“I… I should be honest with you,” he began, looking at the poem written on the paper. “In the Vault… I… I was conscious. Every day. Every minute. Every Second. I was wandering through the place like a ghost if you want.”

Taking her head between her hands, Maiev began to cry out of frustration. Despite everything that she had done, all the precautions she took, her secret was now out. In the worst way possible.

“I heard and saw everything,” admitted Illidan. “And I finally discovered the truth.”

Gently, he took her hand as Maiev turned her face to look at him, smiling like an idiot.

“What I mean is… I love you too My.”

It hadn’t been a trick from her mind. When she fell from that cliff, Illidan was effectively screaming that nickname that she hadn’t heard in millennia. That nickname that only he knew; that nickname only him used. Because she had always belonged to him. And now, he was reclaiming her once again, and she was going to fall for it because she was weak. No, not because she was weak, but because she had always loved him and that she had waiting years and years to get him just for herself. And that time had come.

“Say it again,” she whispered.

Cupping her cheek with his other hand, Illidan got closer to the Warden, so close that their lips brushed together. It had been so long and yet, she was still remembering how they were tasting, and she had no doubt it was the same for him.

“I love you,” he repeated on her lips, his eyes almost closed. “My.”

Slowly, Maiev closed the gap between them and kissed him. Finally, everything was at his rightful place in her world.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, let's make something clear right away, this fic isn't canon in the My(iev) Verse. It won't happen like that, at all, but when I was brainstorming the idea, I thought it would be funny to put this fic in that setting. Especially that I know that Melowen loves that AU, so here, enjoys it!
> 
> \-----  
> I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Unfortunately, English isn't my first language so if someone is interested in becoming my beta-reader for the language, hit me up on my Tumblr!  
> Or if you just want to talk about WoW, my fics, someone else fics, or anything, you can still hit me up there!
> 
> https://thewritingof-therose.tumblr.com/
> 
> or on Discord
> 
> https://discord.gg/nvKggwc (An Illidan/Maiev Discord)
> 
> Later!
> 
> (Comments are welcomed and appreciated :D)


End file.
